BREAKING NEWS

BREAKING NEWS

Region 6: TGU, Ryan, Velva, Rugby advance

The Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood girls basketball team could have used junior Alex Mott to offset the size of TGU’s forwards.

But the 5-foot-11 center wasn’t available for coach Wayne Brackenbury and the Mavericks after dislocating her knee during the District 12 tournament.

The Titans (17-6) took advantage of the Mavericks’ depleted height with 5-10 senior Delrae Latendresse and 5-11 junior Mattie Schmitt. The duo combined for 30 points and 18 rebounds in TGU’s 57-37 victory over M-L-S on Monday in the Region 6 tournament at the Minot Municipal Auditorium.

“We are a little bit bigger so going into the game we knew we had to get the ball inside,” TGU coach Wade Schock said. “We definitely wanted to throw the ball inside as much as we could and use our height advantage.”

TGU opened up and maintained a double-digit advantage in the second half, holding M-L-S to 16 points in the game’s final 16 minutes to advance to the semifinals against Bishop Ryan today at 6 p.m.

“Our defense has been good all year and I think that’s what carries our offense,” Schmitt said.

Schmitt made her presence felt early on the offensive end. She totaled 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting – all from inside the paint – in the opening half. Schmitt only attempted three shots after that, but continued to work on the glass. The senior registered a double-double with a game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds.

“The inside (game) worked so we kept taking it to them,” Schmitt said.

Latendresse was held to two points in the first half but scored nine in the second to finish in double figures. Akesha Juarez (14 points) and McKenna Thompson (10) also finished in double figures for the Titans.

M-L-S centers Sierra Smith and Callie Carlson combined for 10 points and 12 rebounds. Emily Abernathey led M-L-S with 11 points – the only Maverick to finish in double figures.

With every tick of the clock in the second half, things worsened for M-L-S. The Mavericks couldn’t get a shot to fall and the Titans stretched their lead. TGU continued to shoot well from inside, while M-L-S (14-9) made just four field goals on 23.5 percent shooting.

“We just didn’t look for opportunities to shoot the ball,” M-L-S coach Wayne Brackenbury said. “We had some pretty good looks and they didn’t fall, but we didn’t have enough shots. When you get beat 45-32 shot wise, you have to shoot a great percentage or it’s just not going to happen for you.”

The Titans flexed their muscles on the glass in the second half as well, outrebounding the Mavericks 23-10.

“The girls came out and played hard,” Schock said. “That’s something they’ve done all year. They play hard, they scrap.”

Bishop Ryan 71, Dunseith 38

Sophomore forward Hannah Stewart scored the game’s first 13 points as the Bishop Ryan girls basketball team overwhelmed Dunseith to advance to the Region 6 semifinals against TGU today at 6 p.m.

Stewart finished with a game-high 37 points on 14-of-19 shooting and grabbed 14 rebounds. She nearly registered the double-double in the first half, recording 24 points and seven rebounds in the first 16 minutes.

“She got herself in good spots and when you get that kind of chemistry going, it doesn’t matter who it is, you’re going to be able to put some points up,” Ryan coach Julie Stewart said.

Sophomore guard Maddie Wald was the only other Lion in double figures, finishing with 12 points.

The top-ranked Lions (22-0) limited Dunseith to just two field goals in the first half and held a 44-13 advantage at halftime. The Dragons shot 12.5 percent over the first two quarters and 26.2 percent for the game.

Ryan wasn’t as in sync in the second half. The Lions committed 10 turnovers and hit just nine field goals in the second half.

“We had a good rhythm going in the first half,” Julie Stewart said. “Second half, I don’t know if we got complacent. We picked up some dumb fouls not moving our feet and they capitalized on it.”

McKayla Peltier finished with a team-high 15 points for the Dragons.

Rugby 62, Our Redeemer’s 51

Rugby freshman guard Shea Heidlebaugh scored a game-high 27 points and senior guard Aubrey Hovland recorded a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds to pull the upset over Our Redeemer’s Christian School and set up a semifinal matchup with Velva today at 7:30 p.m.

Neither team shot the ball particularly well as each squad hit exactly one-third of its shots. But the Panthers went to the free-throw line 32 times, going 21-of-32.

“Our goal was to extend our season,” Rugby coach Jennifer Brossart said. “We wanted to play three games and we got it here tonight. We did a good job of getting off to a good run.”

Rugby held a double-digit advantage throughout the second half, leading by as many as 19 points. The Panthers took advantage of their height down low, grabbing 20 offensive rebounds for second-chance points.

ORCS senior Ashley Koppinger recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds in her final game. Eighth-grade guard Morgan Olson led the Knights with 15 points. Seniors Billie Bangen and Emily VanLith recorded nine and eight points respecitvely.

Velva 62, Kenmare 16

After being tied 2-2 early in the first quarter, Velva scored 33 of the half’s final 39 points to open up a 35-8 lead at halftime.

Velva’s Jaylen Newman outscored the Honkers by herself, finishing with a game-high 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Newman also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds for the Aggies, who play ORCS/Rugby winner at 7:30 tonight.

Kenmare’s offensive woes stretched to the third quarter as the Honkers failed to score in the eight-minute frame. The Honkers hit just one field goal in the second half and had only four for the game. Lexie Munson – playing her final game in a Kenmare jersey – finished with a team-high nine points.

“Defense, I was happy with it,” Velva coach Chris Braaten said. “We caused 21 turnovers in the first half. That was something that really set the tone for the whole evening for us.”

The Aggies limited the Honkers to 18.5 percent shooting and forced 37 turnovers.